Windows Mobile Instant Messaging with Palringo

Palringo is a Windows Mobile Instant Messaging client with push-to-talk functionality.  The program allows users to instantly exchange text messages, voice messages and photos between contacts.  Palringo bundles Windows Live Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, AOL Instant Messenger, Gadu-Gadu, AOL ICQ, and Google Talk/Jabber into one application, making instant messaging seamless.  One interesting feature missing from other IM clients is the ability to sign into a single IM program with more than one screen name.  Users can add and remove contacts but there is no option to block a contact.

Users need to register and sign-in with Palringo and then ‘add’ respective services to use in the Palringo client.  Note: this program uses data so you should have a data plan before using the service.

Users can send messages to an individual or group contact.  A group can act like a chat room, a place for friends to convene and share with each other.  Those that are online and in the same group as you all receive a group IM.

The most interesting feature of Palringo is the ability to send vocal IMs to your contacts.  To do so, simply navigate to the Voice (or Photo) tab while chatting with someone and press the ‘Push to Talk’ (or ‘Capture Photo’) button.  Voice messages and photos sent to your buddies show up as hyperlinks in their IM client.  The link takes them to a page where they can play the audio clip and view the sent picture (and save both if they choose to).  I understand why they would link to a website with the audio or photograph if the receiver doesn’t use a Palringo client, but when both are using the client it makes more sense for the content to be seamlessly integrated into the Palringo client rather than provide a hyperlink.

Palringo is an good IM client for the Windows Mobile platform.  While it lacks features such as seamless audio/photo IMs and the ability to set custom away/status messages, it’s still a good IM client.  Messages sent and received by the client are delivered quickly and it supports most major IM services.  Give it a try, it might be just the application you’re looking for!

New users of Palringo need to register an account with them first here.  There are multiple ways to get Palringo unto your Windows Mobile device – you can go to www.palringo.mobi from your device, enter your mobile number at the top of this page (they will send an SMS with the download link), or download the PC install or Phone install.

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